Vegetables to Grow in July

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Vegetables to Grow in July

In July there is still enough warm weather in the growing season to plant short-maturing, hot-weather crops such as green beans, corn and cucumbers. If starting a winter garden is your plan, this is the month to sow cool-season crops such as lettuce, peas, carrots and spinach. Vegetables to transplant this month include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Timing is essential for vegetables to grow in July.

Warm Weather Crops

The first three weeks of July lend themselves to warm weather crops that mature in 65 days or less. The sooner you get these crops planted, the better chance of success you will have.
Plant corn anytime from July 1 though the third Friday of the month. Look for early maturing varieties. Good choices for standard yellow sweet corn include Earlivee, which matures in 58 days, and Seneca Horizon, which matures in 65 days.
The best sugary extender white corn variety to try is Spring Snow, which matures in 65 days. If you plant your corn at the beginning of the month, consider planting Maple Sweet, which matures in 70 days; Champ, which matures in 68 days; Spring Treat, which matures in 67 days; or Precocious, which matures in 66 days.
There are many other early maturing varieties of corn. Figure out what kind of corn you wish to plant, look at the calendar to see when your first frost of the season is, then count the days backwards. The day you end up with on the calendar is the last day you will want to plant that particular variety in your climate zone.
A second planting of green beans can be done in July. Green beans can mature anywhere from 42 to 72 days from planting. Choose a variety that matures early. Use the same method as you use with corn to figure out your latest planting date.
Cucumbers take 60 to 70 days to mature, so planting these in July means getting them in the ground at the beginning of the month if you are growing them from seed. Transplanting young cucumber plants is another option.

Cool Weather Crops

Even though cool weather is several months off, now is the time to choose which vegetables to grow in July for the fall and winter garden. Sow seeds of cool season crops this month so the plants will be old enough when the weather cools down to survive most of the winter under cover.
Plant seeds of broccoli, lettuce, peas, carrots and spinach from July 1 though the second Friday of the month. Keep them watered well and if possible, plant them in an area of the garden that receives some shade to help keep these plants cool. Mulching the roots will hold in moisture and cool the soil.
During the next three weeks, continue to plant seeds of cool season crops to allow multiple harvests. The idea behind the fall and winter garden is to have fresh produce for most of the season. Multiple plantings, or succession plantings, made at different times of the month mean the crops will mature at different times.
Seeds to sow throughout the rest of July include broccoli, lettuce, turnips, kale, spinach, carrots, peas and cauliflower.

Winter Garden Transplants

An alternative to planting seed for vegetables to grow in July is to transplant mature seedlings. Crops started indoors or purchased from a nursery will work well in the July garden. Choose from cool season crops or warm weather crops to transplant this month. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are popular cool season crops to grow in July.
Follow the suggested planting dates above, even though you are planting crops that are already growing. The exception would be if you know exactly when the seed was sown. For example, if you planted watermelon in pots on June 15, and the plants were doing well, it would be OK to transplant them into the July garden.